Black Studies - Archives at Other Institutions
Important resources documenting the histories and contributions of Black individuals, organizations, and communities are available at archives across Canada. Rich analog (hard copy) and digital collections that shed light on Black lives and experiences across Canada can be found at national and provincial archives; in the collections of university archives and libraries; and at museums, as well as within communities and community archives.
The following list is not exhaustive but serves as a starting point for research into Black History in Canada.
- Amherstburg Freedom Museum - Museum dedicated to the history of African Canadians. Website includes digital collections and a description of their artifact collection.
- Archives of Ontario: Guide on Black History resources held by the Archives of Ontario - A guide to fonds at the archives that contain Black History material, also includes online exhibitions and educational resources.
- Centre for the Study of Black Cultures (York University) - Hosts website entited African Canadian Online, created between 1996 and 1998 with information about African Canadian artists, the activities of the Centre, and a collection of online resources.
- City of Toronto Archives: Black History in Toronto - A research guide for finding archival material created by and about Black Loyalists, African Americans, Caribbean and African migrants, and other African Canadians living in Toronto. Subsections include "Petitions to Council," "City Directories," "Politicians and Activists," and "Caribana."
- Toronto Metropolitan University: List of primary sources related to Black Canadian Studies - A list of community and regional archives related to Black Canadian History.
- University of Toronto Library / The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library: List of archival materials of Black writers, poets, historians, and playwrights held at The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library - Descriptions of the archives of prominent Black authors Afua Cooper, Lorna Goodison, Rudy Fearon, Lawrence Hill, George Elliott Clarke, and Derek Walcott
- York University Library / Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections: Jean Augustine Fonds and Jean Augustine Political Button Collection - A collection of buttons created by Carribean and Black community organizations in Toronto, particularly from the 1970s.
- Archives de la Ville de Montréal: Guide on Black History in Montreal - A brief history of Montreal's Black community, illustrated with photos and archival documents.
- Artexte: Online exhibition "Blackity," curated by Dr. Joana Joachim - An exhibition of primary source documents from the Artexte collection about Black Canadian art between the 1970s and 2010s.
- Le Centre International de Documentation et d'Information Haitienne,
Caribéenne et Afro-canadienne - Research collection of books and archives focused on Hatian, Carribean and Afro-Canadian History.
- McGill University Library / Rare Books and Special Collection: Roy States Black History collection - Collection of ephemera and books documenting Black History in Montreal and Canada in 1950-1979.
- Harvey Amani Whitfield - Book about archival sources that document slavery in the Maritimes: Whitfield, H. A. (2018). Black slavery in the maritimes : a history in documents (Ser. The broadview sources series). Broadview Press.
- Atlantic Canada Virtual Archive: Collection on Black Loyalists in New Brunswick, 1783-1854 - A collection of petitions for land grants submitted by Black Loyalists, with accompanying biographies and resources about Black Loyalists, archived by University of New Brunswick Libraries Project Preservation.
- Black Loyalists heritage center: Collection of documents on Black Loyalists - A short history of Black Loyalists in Canada, with a collection of transcriptions of personal accounts and documents that provide evidence of the experience of Black Loyalists.
- Halifax Municipal Archives: Source guide on Africville - A list of municipal documents, photos, maps, and other primary sources about the history of Africville.
- Nova Scotia Archives: African Nova Scotians - A central page that links to guides and online exhibitions about Black Nova Scotians created by Nova Scotia Archives. Highlights include a resource entitled "Looking Back, Moving Forward: Documenting the Heritage of African Nova Scotians" and an exhibition, "African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition."
- Saint Mary’s University Archives:The Lynn Jones African Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection - Archive focused on Black History and civil rights activism in Nova Scotia, particularly Halifax, between roughly 1960 and 2000.
- Alberta Labour History: Collections of oral history interviews with Black Albertans - Interviews detailing Black Albertans' careers and their connections to their communities.
- Edmonton City as Museum Project: Online exhibition “And still we rise: A Black presence in Alberta, late 1800s -1970s” - Curated by Dr. Jennifer Kelly based on a physical exhibition that she curated in 2011 using archival materials from various institutions
- Provincial Archives of Alberta: Black History at the Provincial Archives of Alberta - Guide to resources about the history of Alberta’s Black community, including homestead files, vital statistics, and other documents
- University of Alberta Library / Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions (CIHM) monographs: Documents on slavery in the CIHM collection - A selection from the CIHM collection related to slavery, many of which are abolitionist essays and books.
- Archives of Manitoba: "Back Tracks to Railroad Ties" exhibit and Black History research collection - A collection of material collected as part of research and planning for an exhibition entitled "Back Tracks to Railroad Ties: The First Journey, The Early History of Black People in Canada" that was exhibited in 1994 at the Manitoba Museum.
- Manitoba Museum: Blog Post on Black History related material in the Manitoba Museum Collections - Informal post showcasing material in the Manitoba Museum collection that documents Black History in Manitoba.
- University of Winnipeg Archives: BIPOC Collections - Contains archival material related to Indigenous people and Black people in Manitoba, and includes reading lists of resources about anti-Black racism and the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Provincial archives of Saskatchewan: Fonds and collections on Black Canadians and Black Saskatchewanians - Archival fonds and collections that contain material related to Black History in Canada, or Saskatchewan specificially.
- BC Black History awareness society - Includes online exhibition “British Columbia’s Black Pioneers: Their Industry and Character Influenced the Vision of Canada” and online timeline of important events in BC Black History
- Yukon’s Hidden Histories Society - An organization dedicated to underrepresented histories that prioritizes the stories of Black and Asian people. Includes document entitled "Inventory to the History of Black Yukoners."
- Library and Archives Canada - The site includes a guide on researching Black Canadians and a database of Black Loyalist Refugees.
- Canadian Research Network / Canadiana - Primary sources database containing documents on slavery in the Canadiana collections.